The Beaulieu Estate Today
When the present Lord Montagu succeeded to the Beaulieu Estate in 1951, he faced a series of problems. The previous decades had presented the trustees with considerable difficulties. The income derived from the agriculture and forestry activity on the 10,000 acres of the Estate was insufficient to ensure its future security, and both farms and woodland were in need of substantial investment. To solve these problems, Lord Montagu decided on two main courses of action. First, he sold the southwest corner of the Estate to produce capital, which was re-invested in the improvement of farming and forestry on the remainder of the Estate. Second, he began to develop tourism and leisure facilities on the Estate as a potential revenue earner. Gradual improvement in both these areas has continued until today.
Beaulieu Estate now comprises approximately 7,000 acres, lying entirely within the boundary of the New Forest. About half the Estate is agricultural land of varying quality. As the opportunity presents, farms are being amalgamated to produce a small number of larger, more viable holdings. The 2,000 acres of woodland are under active management to produce both broad leaved and coniferous crops.
The remainder of the Estate encompasses the villages of Beaulieu and Buckler's Hard, and the Beaulieu River, together with the foreshore. Lord Montagu owns both the river estuary and foreshore under a grant to the Cistercian monks by King John in 1204.
On the birth of his first son, the Honourable Ralph Montagu, Lord Montagu settled about half of the Estate on his son, and a Board of Trustees was established to manage these lands until Ralph reached the age of 25. Thus, in March, 1986, Ralph assumed ownership of and responsibility for half of the Estate. This comprises mainly the agricultural lands and some woodland, with Lord Montagu retaining ownership of some land - the main tourist destinations, the historic buildings and the river.
Leisure on the Estate has been concentrated deliberately in two honey pots at Beaulieu and Buckler's Hard. Thus leisure only occupies approximately 88 acres within the total of 7,000 acres of land on the Estate.